A conflict has escalated in Teremky over the cutting down of trees to make way for a district heating pipeline
The conflict in Kyiv’s Teremky neighborhood has been ongoing for several months and centers on plans to cut down more than 660 trees. Local residents claim that city authorities have not provided them with documents regarding the planned work, and the situation has already drawn attention at the national level.
The municipal enterprise “Kyivteploenergo” filed a police report against Kyiv resident Natalia Chernyshova and other activists who are defending the green space in Teremky from destruction.
The activist reported this to the civic initiative “Holka.” According to her, residents of Teremky spent a month and a half trying to obtain documents from Kyiv City State Administration Deputy Head Petro Panteleev and representatives of “Kyivteploenergo” regarding the laying of a heating network through the park, but never received them. Instead, the company filed a complaint with law enforcement regarding the actions of activists who tried to protect the trees this summer.
Attorney Yuriy Melnyk considers appeals to law enforcement or the courts a typical tactic of local authorities and developers. According to him, such actions can have a “chilling effect” on the community and reduce the number of people willing to oppose controversial decisions.
The civic initiative “Holka” requested a comment from “Kyivteploenergo,” but as of the publication of this article, the company had not provided one.
The conflict over the construction of a backup heating pipeline through a green space in the Teremky neighborhood has been ongoing for several months. The city authorities cited experimental government resolution No. 393, which allowed for the accelerated construction of such facilities as part of wartime resilience plans.
As a result, 662 trees, including century-old oaks, were threatened.
The Kyiv City State Administration explained the need for the work by citing the necessity of creating a backup heat supply for Teremky-1 and Teremky-2 in the event of an emergency at Thermal Power Plant No. 5.
Tetyana Troshkina, a resident of Teremky, noted that three years ago, “Kyivteploenergo” commissioned the design of a heating pipeline along a different route—along Teremky Street—bypassing the green area. Approximately 8 million UAH from the capital’s budget has already been spent on developing the design and cost estimate documentation, but this project was not implemented. The Kyiv City State Administration explained that the alternative route required more time.
There is a specific procedure for applying the provisions of the experimental government resolution. A comprehensive city resilience plan must be approved by the relevant authority or official and endorsed by a decision of the National Security and Defense Council.
“Holka” contacted the Kyiv City State Administration to find out whether such documents exist in the capital. According to the initiative, the documents obtained indicate that the capital’s Resilience Plan was not approved by either Mayor Vitali Klitschko or the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration.
Georgiy Mogilny, an urban planning expert and analyst at “Holka,” stated that under these circumstances, the Kyiv authorities cannot rely on the government resolution to construct the heating pipeline. According to him, the Kyiv City Council was first required to transfer the land plot for construction, and “Kyivteploenergo” was required to obtain the appropriate permit.
Maksym Myatko, an engineer and member of the Kyiv City Organization of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine, proposed an alternative route for the heating pipeline that would require cutting down only 11 trees. Residents proposed another alternative: to lay the heating pipeline along the gravel path closer to the “Respublika” residential complex, where there is significantly less greenery.
Despite the existence of alternative options, the city authorities are not considering them. In mid-September, heavy equipment returned to the green area to resume work.
Activists are preparing a lawsuit against the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) and “Kyivteploenergo.” Among the issues they plan to challenge are the legality of conducting work in the park area and the existence of legal grounds for construction along the chosen route.
Source: Glavkom
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